Stalin contrary to popular belief also disliked “ugly commieblocks” and preferred classical style architecture. The switch up happened post-Stalin due the increased need for quick housing.
Man here’s a hot take then I guess, I genuinely don’t think commieblocks are ugly at all, and most of the postwar Soviet developments look waaaaaay nicer to live in than areas of “classical architecture”
Everybody hates commieblocks because whereever they are, they’ve been in disrepair for 50 years. The west built them, in europe at least, quite extensively in the 70s and by the time the first actual maintenance was up it was the 80s so that wasn’t done anymore. I don’t have to tell people here how it happened in what is now Russia.
I think it’s an underlooked fact that these fuckers are habitable, still. I have been to east german towns and villages full of single family homes (in modernity, in which used to be like, farms buildings or local production of something) and it looks like the apocalypse has happened.
I think the current era of featureless glass towers and shitty oil-derived five-over-one condo blocks are a blight on the eyes. While I prefer neoclassical and Gothic and romantic and other ostentatious ornate architectural styles for the depth of detail and the opportunities for symbolic art and pleasing visuals, Soviet brutalist buildings are also quite beautiful when integrated with the environment. Like yeah, they’re ugly when shot on a cloudy day in winter but they’re spectacular when surrounded by greenery and maintained.
I genuinely don’t think commieblocks are ugly at all
i really like China’s ones, they’re fine when well maintained and well painted.
I’ve lived in worse. Just plant some fucking trees around and have a color on them other than gray tbh.
I used quotations because I dont agree with the take and WASNT doing a hot take. I just relayed that during the Stalinist period more ostentatious common housing was build.
Oh yeah sorry wasn’t trying to make an assertion about your opinion just disagree with Stalin (and basically all westerners). Glad we’re in agreement
built houses for its settler volk to grow their population in tbh
It’s nice in spirit but suburbs still suck, especially when you arrive at the single family home with the murphy bed and the fold away kitchenette. What’s the fucking point, just do an apartment building for gods sake
In North Korea, the government hides its homeless population from tourists by forcing them to live in housesArticle failed to cover whether there was any diversity among the recipients of the homes. Given the time frame this happened in, I suspect this mostly if not entirely benefited white people. A big part of our country not having programs like this is rooted in fear that non whites might benefit. Good ole racism… convincing poor whites to vote against their own interests.
ah yes, the famous “New Deal” where white people got some things and non-whites did not.
in this way, The New Deal was remarkably similar to The Old Deal.
yeah the Federal Housing Administration actively discriminated against black people and other minorities. the new deal brought white flight suburbs and redlining.
https://retroreport.org/video/whites-only-suburbs-how-the-new-deal-shut-out-black-homebuyers/
I mean the secretary of labour seemed to be more sympathetic to Black Americans. It doesnt seem that it was specifically excluding non-white workers.
“Among his special assistants was George Edmund Haynes, 1918 to 1921, who was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Columbia University.”
“The administration was working to encourage African-American support for the war effort, both among men who served and those who were working in war industries.”
“In December 1916, Wilson addressed a conference on social insurance in which he discussed State developments in that field, such as the provision of mothers’ pensions and workmen’s compensation, and also spoke of the possibility of the United States introducing old-age pensions and universal health insurance.The Department of Labor had earlier in Wilson’s term expressed favor towards an invitation to attend an International Conference on Social Insurance.”
Thanks for highlighting that part… clearly I skimmed more than I read.
Its not in the article.
